Freight-car.



PATENTED APR-'21, 190a.

. H. w. KIRGHNER.

FREIGHT GAR. APPLIOATIOH FILED. APR. 1. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wines- 6 FREIGHT GAR APPLICATION PILED APR.

H. W. KIRGHNER.

PATENTED .APR.

3 sums-$55M 2.

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v o 0 o E 0 O 0 I 0 Inventor:

VPATENTED APR. 21,1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' UNITED sTArnS PATENT oFFroE.

HENRY WILLIAM KIROHN OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGN OR TO RIVER & RAIL TRANS PORTATION COMPANY, OF GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA, A

CORPORATION OF OKLAHOMA.

FR IGHT-A3.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 1 1907. Serial No. 365,193;

Patented April 21, 1908.

To all whom it-may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY KIROHNER', a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city'of St. Louis and Stateof Missouri, have invented anew and. useful Improvement in Freight-Cars, of,

which the ollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to freight cars and has for its principal objects to provide freight holding compartments or unit boxes which may be removably mounted on a freight car and may be interchangeable with each other zontally..

Resting removably upon the extending flanges o the angle bars of each pocket or and with similar unit boxes of other cars.

My invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawin which forms part of this specification, an wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure 1 isfa side elevation of a car embodying my invention ;-Fi vieiw thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view 0 the en part y in vertical section with two units in position; Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of the end ortion of a car with the frei ht units remove Fig. 5 is a cross section 0 the car showing one of the freight units partly in' 'side sills and the cross members orm a series of rectangular pockets, from each side of which extendsa flan e of an angle bar; The horizontal or laterall y extending members or flanges of the an le bars are below the upper surface of the sil sand constitute a marginal seat or ventlcal support for a box.

The lower end of the box is surrounded by the upper portions of the sills, which constitute lateral supports to retain such'box in lace against forces tending to displace it ori-" WILLIAM.

2 isa l an 1portion of a car partly in elevation and.v

compartment isa rectangular box 5 of proper dimensions to enter the pocket or' every box maycooperate with every pocket, as desired. So, too, theseveral cars are built alike, so that the several boxes-of one car are not only interchangeable with each other but are. likewise interchangeable with the boxes of other cars.

Thesever'al boxes are preferably wooden reinforced with metal 6 alon their edges, sides and corners. Preferabl the boxes are rovided with casters, rollers or wheels 7 on t eir bottoms, whereby, when they are removed from the car, they may be easily rolled or shifted. When the boxes are in position on the car, the wheels or casters hang therefrom.

Preferably, the boxes are open atthe top and have one or more sides hinged to-facilitate the loading and unloading thereof, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. It is desirable to hinge the'side near the bottom by means of a pintle 8 which extends parallel with the axes whereby a hook or raft appliance may be attached thereto. to facilitate the hauling of the box. The hinged side of the box is ref-.

so- I erably made of hinged sections and is he d in lace by suitable fastening devices. As illustrated'in Fig. 3, the hinged side is held in place by vertical bolts 10 extending downwardly through a keeper 11 mounted on the frame of the box.

Each of the boxes constitutes a freight unit andis provided on its ends with interlocking members adapted to cooperate with interlocking members on the next adjacent unit. For this purpose, the locking members are preferably arranged intwo sets on each of two sides of the unit (that is, four sets in all) one member of each set being a latch or hook 12'and the other member a keeper 13. For the-sake of interchangeability, the distance between the latch and the keeper of each box is' uniform, and the keeper of each set is uni: forml to the ri ht (or to the left, as the case may e)v of the eeper of its set, as one faces them. Otherwise stated, the latdhes are similarly arranged with respect to the vertical axis of the box, so that, if the box isturned end for end, the latch on either side thereof will coo erate equally well with the keeper of the a jacent box; and in like manner the keepers also are similarly arranged. The len th of the latches is likewise uniform and suc as to engage with the keeperof the box or unit in the next ad'acent compartment or pocket of the car. he latches thus constitute s acin ieces as we as astening devices. These atches are preferably formed with holes 14 through them of such dimensions as to 006 erate with a grab hook or hanger of a derrick, whereby the boxes or units can be readily lifted out of their pockets on the car. Near the end of the car, the body is provided with long pivoted bars 15 whose free ends have holes adapted for locking bolts 16 to ass through. The box or freight unit has bolt holes 1n the upper ortion of its side. When the pivotal bar is as tened by means of bolts extending through it into the upper inner portion of the end box or unit, said box or unit is held firmly in place thereby. At the end of each pocket the car is provided with a raised or elevated abutment adapted to prevent endwise movement or tilting of the end boxes. The intermediateboxes or freight units are locked to each other by means of the latches, so that they cooperate with each other to increase the stability of the Whole.

Obviously, the construction hereinbefore described admits of considerable modification without de arting from my invention. Thus, instead 0 the interchangeable units fitting in rectangular pockets as described, the seats for said boxes or units may be otherwise formed to retain said boxes or units against displacement. So, too, the interchangeable units may be completely inclosed insteadof being open at the top, and their fastening devices may be varied, as desired. Instead of ordinary wheels or casters under the boxes or units, said units may be equipped with flanged wheelssuitable for narrow-gage tracks.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A freight car com rising a body having a plurality of seats for oxes and a plurality of boxes removably mounted on said seats,

said car having a skeleton body comprising longitudinal and' transverse members .arranged to inclose the lower portion of said poxes and constitute lateral supports thereor.

2. A freight car. co rising a body having a lurality of seats for oxes and a lurality 0 boxes removably-mounted on said seats, said car having a skeleton. body comprising longitudinal and transverse members arranged toinclose the lower portion of said boxes and to constitute" lateral supports therefor, and meam for anchoring said boxes 1n position, I

3. A freight car eomprisinga body portion members or distance having pockets therein, a plurality of removable boxes ada ted to fit in said pockets and. means for anc oring said boxes in position, said means comprising fastening devices for fastening the boxes to each other and in- 'clined links for securing the upper portion of the end boxes to the end portion of the body of the car.

4. A freight car comprising a body having a plurality of seats for boxes and a plurality of boxes removably mounted on said seats, said car having a skeleton body comprising longitudinal and transverse members arranged to inclose the lower portions of said boxes and to constitute lateral supports therefor,-said' boxes bein secured together by detachable fastening evices.

5. A freight car comprising a body having a series of box retaining seats, and a plurality of interchangeable boxes removably mounted on said seats, said boxes having fastening devices on two opposite sides arranged to co operate with similarly arranged fastening devices upon adjacent boxes.

6. A freight car com rising a body having boxretainin seats an a lurality of interchangeable oxes remova ly mounted on said seats, each box having sets of fastening devices arran ed on two opposite sides to cooperate Wit similar fastening devices on adjacent boxes a fastening device adjacent ,to one end of a side being the counterpart of the fastening device adjacent to the other end thereof and the fastening devices of opposite sides being similarly arranged.

7. A freight car com rising a body having box-retainin seats and a lurality of interchangeable oxes remova ily mounted on said seats, each box having sets of fastening devices arranged to 006 erate with similarly arranged counterpart astening devices on adjacent boxes, and each set of fastening devices com rising a pivotally mounted 100k and a hoo keeper.

8. A frei ht car comprising a body having longitudina members and transverse members arranged to form pockets with box retaining seats and a plurality of wheeled boxes removably mounted on said seats.

9. A freight car com rising a body having box-retaining seats an a plurality of boxes ,removably mounted on said seats, and link bars pivoted on said body near the ends thereof, and .means for fastening said link bars to the endmost boxes to anchor them in place.

10. A plurality of similar freight cars which comprise a body having box retaining seats and a pluralit of boxes ada ted to be removably mounte on said seats, t e several boxes being interchan eable and the body comprising ongitudina members and transverse members arranged to inclose the lower ends of the boxes and constitute lateral supports therefor.

, 11 An interchangeable box unit for freight cars comprising a box having fastenbig devices on opposite sides so formed and a anged that t e fasteners of both sides 5 may coo erate interchangeably with those of a sim ar box.

L2. An interchangeable box unit for freight cars having four sets of similarly arra ed fastening devices on 01p osite sides,

10 eac set comprising a pivotahook keeper.

13. An interchangeable box unit for freight ears having four sets of similarly ar- 14. A freight ear comprising longitudinal members and transverse members having 00k and a ra ed fastening. devices on o plosite sides,

inwardly extending flanges arranged to constitute pockets wit marginal supports therein for boxes.

15. A frei ht ear comprising a body having a plura ity' of seats for boxes and a plurality of boxes mounted on said seats and. means on the respective boxes for.

fastening said boxes to one another to cooperate in retai said boxes 1n position, said means being a apted to cooperate with lifting devices.

Signed at- St. Louis, Missouri, this 30th da of March, 1907, in the presence of two su scribing witnesses.

HENRY wmmm mourns.

Witnesses:

James A, CARR, I JULIA B.. Mneown. 

